The Learning Channel, otherwise known as TLC, has canceled a controversial
reality show that features a behind-the-scenes look at the everyday lives of
five preachers’ wives from Atlanta,
Georgia.

As previously reported, The Sisterhood began
airing on the network the first of the year, following five women that are
married to preachers in one of the largest cities in the Bible Belt. However,
the women’s lifestyles “shock” viewers as they often dress provocatively,
giggle about sexual matters with their friends and husbands, and generally live
on the edge.

“She’s fit and fabulous and her wardrobe leaves little to the imagination,”
reads the bio for Tara Lewis, a certified fitness instructor who recently moved
to Atlanta from Los Angeles after her husband took a job at a
church in the area.

“Tell the devil he’s a liar!” Lewis announced in the preview of the show,
while wearing skin-tight shorts and a t-shirt that she pulled up to expose her
midriff.

“Did you get breast implants, too?” asks Christina Murray over dinner with the
women, whose husband Anthony leads Oasis
Family Life
Church.

“Christina often makes it known that she’s a sassy Latina who you don’t want to mess with,” her
bio reads. “Christina and Anthony … have to wrangle their two challenging
teenage daughters who are just as sassy as their mother.”

Another scene shows Ivy Couch laughing as she opens a gift bag from her
husband to find that he had given her handcuffs to use in the bedroom.

“You better watch yo’ self, girl!” her husband jokes.

“People don’t expect a preacher and his wife to have a good sex life,” Couch
tells the cameras.

“It’s very difficult to be a ‘first lady.’ Very difficult,” she declares in
another scene.

In one episode, Dominique Scott, who ran Good Life International Church with
her husband until it recently closed, points to the house where she smoked her
first crack pipe as she rides through town with the women.

“Preachers’ wives can run from very conservative to very radical,” states
DeLana Rutherford, whose husband Myles leads Worship With Wonder Church in Kennesaw, Georgia.
DeLana, a singer, and her husband are quoted as having a “strong mantle of a
proceeding and prophetic word.”

However, following announcement of the show, many Christians expressed their
disapproval of the broadcast, even launching a petition against The
Sisterhood.

“The previews and highlights of the upcoming show is pure garbage and does
not portray the reality of being a Christian or the reality of being a
preacher’s or pastor’s wife. The airing of this show is not only offensive to
the Body of Christ, but it is also degrading to women of color (specifically),”
the petition stated. “This show mocks everything that we,
as believers, stand for. It is disgusting, disgraceful, inappropriate and an
inaccurate display of what we strive to accomplish as Christians.”

“The airing of this show only adds more fuel to the ever-present distasteful
stereotype that we, as Christians, fight daily to erase,” it continued. “We
must stand together and put an end to TLC’s clear derogatory distortion of the
Body of Christ and women of God — specifically, preacher’s and pastor’s wives!”

Now, according to reports, the reality show has been canceled due to poor
ratings and will not return for a second season.

Pastor Brian Lewis, who was featured with his wife Tara on the show, told
reporters that many Christians were deeply offended and grieved by the
broadcast.

“There are so many factors that contributed to the cancellation of the show,
but ultimately it was the cast members themselves that caused our core viewers,
Christians, to be grieved by their conduct and turned-off and disinterested in
the show,” he explained. “The premiere episode one was so way off base for
those professing to be Christians and the sensationalized sexual content so
blatant, the arguments so tense and the doctrinal differences so outlandish
that it made people feel so uncomfortable that the show immediately lost
300,000 viewers and it undermined this phenomenal opportunity we had to witness
His light in darkness.”

However, Ivy Couch said that she believed the revelation of her flaws was
beneficial to the viewing audience.

“I think other Christians act like they don’t have problems anymore once
they become Christian. So, it’s really an opportunity for me to be transparent
because I think that’s how we help people heal,” she stated. “I think He’s
using this reality show. It is going to be groundbreaking and we’re going to
upset a lot of people, but I do also think that we’re going to bring a lot of
people to know Him personally.”

Lewis advised that he hopes to launch another broadcast in place of The
Sisterhood.

“We have developed a pitch for our own reality docuseries featuring Tara and
I, as well as, daily talk show pitch. We plan to pitch the docuseries to the
production companies and the top reality based networks and are confident that
this will not be the last that you see of Brian and Tara Lewis in reality,” he
stated. “Tara and I still be in the call on our lives to use television to
impact the world for Christ.”

'The Sisterhood' Cast Reveals
Reason for Show Cancellation?

"The
Sisterhood" docu-series that documented the lives of pastors' wives on TLC
earlier this year will not return to the network, and one of the show's
ministers and his wife believe they know why.

The show premiered Jan. 1 and focused on five preachers' wives trying to
balance life in Atlanta, Ga. However, the show was received with
backlash from many members in the Christian community, and which ultimately led
to it being scrapped from the airwaves, according to "The Sisterhood"
cast members Pastor Tara Lewis and her husband Dr. Brian Lewis.

"There are so many factors that contributed to the cancellation of the
show, but ultimately it was the cast members themselves that caused our core
viewers, Christians, to be grieved by their conduct and turned-off and
disinterested in the show," Dr. Lewis told thejasminebrand.com recently.
"The premiere episode one was so way off base for those professing to be
Christians and the sensationalized sexual content so blatant, the arguments so
tense and the doctrinal differences so outlandish that it made people feel so
uncomfortable that the show immediately lost 300,000 viewers and it undermined
this phenomenal opportunity we had to witness His light in darkness."

After "The Sisterhood" premiered earlier this year, a petition on
Change.org titled "TLC Network: Cancel 'The Sisterhood'" seemed to showcase
the frustration of some viewers. Many believed the premiere episode was
"toxic and degrading." Dr. Lewis spoke about some of the issues with
the pastor's wives who dealt with his wife on the show.

"The bickering, pettiness, gossiping, backbiting, insolence and
cliquishness of three of the ladies violated the one law that identifies true
Christians," Dr. Lewis said.

While Pastor Lewis said she held onto hope that the show would be renewed
for a second season, the ultimate decision of its cancellation did not surprise
her.

The show premiered Jan. 1 and focused on five preachers' wives trying to
balance life in Atlanta, Ga. However, the show was received with
backlash from many members in the Christian community, and which ultimately led
to it being scrapped from the airwaves, according to "The Sisterhood"
cast members Pastor Tara Lewis and her husband Dr. Brian Lewis.

"There are so many factors that contributed to the cancellation of the
show, but ultimately it was the cast members themselves that caused our core
viewers, Christians, to be grieved by their conduct and turned-off and
disinterested in the show," Dr. Lewis told thejasminebrand.com recently.
"The premiere episode one was so way off base for those professing to be
Christians and the sensationalized sexual content so blatant, the arguments so
tense and the doctrinal differences so outlandish that it made people feel so
uncomfortable that the show immediately lost 300,000 viewers and it undermined
this phenomenal opportunity we had to witness His light in darkness."

After "The Sisterhood" premiered earlier this year, a petition on
Change.org titled "TLC Network: Cancel 'The Sisterhood'" seemed to
showcase the frustration of some viewers. Many believed the premiere episode
was "toxic and degrading." Dr. Lewis spoke about some of the issues
with the pastor's wives who dealt with his wife on the show.

"The bickering, pettiness, gossiping, backbiting, insolence and
cliquishness of three of the ladies violated the one law that identifies true
Christians," Dr. Lewis said.

While Pastor Lewis said she held onto hope that the show would be renewed
for a second season, the ultimate decision of its cancellation did not surprise
her.

"We remained hopeful, because we know that so many people supported
mine and Brian's standard on the show and were encouraged by our relationship
with each other," she told thejasminebrand.com recently. "We believe
that it is important in the world or reality television that people have
positive uplifting examples to draw inspiration from."

The news of the show's cancellation came earlier this week when
AlwaysAList.com reported that the show averaged 600,000 viewers weekly after
airing eight episodes. It was revealed that it would not return after it's last
episode that aired on Feb. 12.

Ivy Couch, a cast member of the series and the first lady of Emmanuel
Tabernacle church led by her husband Pastor Mark Couch, was prepared for the
backlash that she would receive from some viewers after appearing on the show.
However, she told The Christian Post that the reality television series has the
possibility to heal people.

"I think other Christians act like they don't have problems anymore
once they become Christian. So it's really an opportunity for me to be
transparent because I think that's how we help people heal," Couch told
CP. "So I think He's using this reality show, it is going to be
groundbreaking and we're going to upset a lot of people. But I do also think
that we're going to bring a lot of people to know Him personally."